Rosuvastatin is marketed as rosuvastatin calcium in the form of tablets containing 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg of rosuvastatin calcium, under the brand name of Crestor®. It is indicated in patients with primary hyperlipidemia as an adjunct to diet to reduce elevated total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein and triglyceride levels and to increase high density lipoprotein. As The prevalence of hyperlipidemia increases with age and requires chronic therapy, these HMG-CoA inhibitors, such as rosuvastatin calcium, are generally prescribed to patients for the rest of their lives. Further, it is known that geriatric populations generally may need to take more than one medication.
Solid unit oral dosage forms are available in a variety of sizes and shapes. It is always preferable to design a dosage form that is patient compliant in terms of adhering to the therapy. Sometimes such solid dosage forms pose problems while swallowing as a result of, example, their size, stickiness, taste, aftertaste or frequency of administration. Particularly, in patients suffering from dysphagia, the swallowing of solid oral dosage form may be very painful, if not impossible. Thus, there is a need for a dosage form that eases oral administration.